Title in sight for bespectacled Onkanok

The mark of a champion is evident when you bounce back from adversity.

Thailand's Onkanok Soisuwan showed just that on the second day of the Singapore Ladies Amateur Open at Keppel Club yesterday.

Teeing off from the 10th, the 15-year-old (right) started with a bang with a birdie on the difficult 406-metre par-five.

Suddenly, she nullified that advantage with a bogey on her fifth hole.

But the bespectacled Onkanok kept her vision to bounce back immediately with a birdie on the 433-metre 15th hole.

Buoyed by two other birdies on the sixth and eight holes, she shot a three-under 69 for a seven-under 137 total.

And in today's final round, she will have to keep an eye on her flightmate, Malaysia's Nur Durriyah Damian, who shot a 70 to be just one stroke behind.

From her showing yesterday, Nur was a cool customer, remaining relaxed despite fumbling at the start of her round from the 10th.

Her birdie on the 12th evaporated in the thin air as she bogeyed the second and fourth holes on the way in.

But that did not upset her rhythm as she strung three straight late birdies on her way in for a one-under 35.

That allowed her to keep Onkanok within her sights with her 138 total.

Overnight leader Inez Wanarmata stumbled on the 17th and three-putted for bogey streaks that saw her close with a 74 - a far cry from her first-day 67.

Lying four shots behind leader Onkanok, she said: "I had chances at birdies, but the ball just wouldn't drop."

Making a charge is Malaysian Loy Hee Ying, who leapfrogged from sixth to joint-third with Inez after returning a 69.

"I'm really happy with the way I played today," said the 19 year-old. "I sent fewer balls into the woods today off the tee, and that made all the difference. And I made crucial birdies."

Singaporean Sarah Tan shot even par to move three rungs up the board from 12th to ninth on 148.

LEADERBOARD

OPEN DIV


137: Onkanok Soisuwan 68-69.


138: Nur Durriyah Damian 68-70.

141: Loy Hee Ying 72-69, Inez Beatrice Wanamarta 67-74, 


144: Isabelle Leung 71-73. 


145: Natasha Andrea Oon 74-71, Winnie Ng 70-75.

A1 DIV

161: Carol Cheng 81-80. 


166: Natasha Wong 83-83. 


167: Tina Tian 84-83.


A2 DIV

171: Jasmine Chew 80-91.

172: Bobo Chen 85-87.

181: Catherine Kwek 89-92.